I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 7 Famous Teacher’s Guidance
Xie An followed the man with the sword up the stairs, passed the two huge stone lions in front of the door, and entered the gate of the martial arts hall.

After passing the screen wall carved with dragons and tigers, a huge martial arts arena comes into view.

Dozens of shirtless, young apprentices were practicing boxing. Others, under the guidance of their instructors, were practicing with swords and spears, the clash of swords and spears making a harsh "ping-pong" sound.

Xie An couldn't help but stop and was stunned by what he saw.

A youthful and passionate feeling came over him, stimulating Xie An's heartbeat to a faster pace.

This is the taste of youth and passion!
"What are you looking at? This is for martial arts training. Health preservation is not about this."

The man with the knife frowned and reminded.

Xie An finally came to his senses and hurriedly followed.

After winding through winding corridors, we finally arrived at a secluded courtyard. The stone walls were covered with creepers, and above the simple door hung a gray wooden plaque with three large characters inscribed on it: Baicao Garden.

From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Book House?
"This is it." The man with the knife pointed toward the door. "Master Tang is a friend of the owner and a master of health-preserving exercises. He's visiting the martial arts school and promoting health-preserving exercises. For the next month, you can bring this sign to Baicao Garden for classes. Please refrain from making any noise on the way in and out."

Xie An thanked him and then took the wooden sign into the Baicao Garden.

Compared to the grand martial arts arena in front, this courtyard was much smaller, only about 400 square meters. Seven apprentices stood lopsidedly in the center of the courtyard, while a middle-aged man with a crew cut sat on a chair under the eaves in front.

He was wearing a grey robe. Although he was old, he was strong and tall, with an elegant and restrained air, which was quite extraordinary.

Since Xie An came, no one has come since then.

The man with the crew cut glanced at the sundial. It was already noon. He frowned and muttered, "Why are there so few people? Two taels of silver is too expensive?"

Nowadays, there is chaos and war, and it is difficult for people to survive. Anyone who has the conditions will practice martial arts.

Health-preserving exercises are so useless, so few people practice them… The buzz-cut man had been prepared for this. But out of the 20,000-plus people in Wuqiao Town, only eight people practiced health-preserving exercises… That was too few.

Gathering his thoughts, the man with the crew cut spoke, "My surname is Tang, my given name is Qingfeng, and my courtesy name is Wenyuan. I used to teach at the Qingwu County Military Academy. Now that I'm old, I've retired and am helping my master promote health-preserving exercises. They help the people of Qingwu County stay strong and healthy, not afraid of cold or heat, and live longer. You can call me Master Tang."

Everyone thought the man with the crew cut was kind and friendly, so they all called him Master Tang.

However, Xie An felt that Tang Qingfeng's conversation was elegant and he looked like an educated man.

"In fact, during the heyday of the previous dynasty, health-preserving exercises were very popular. From the emperor and nobles to the common people, everyone practiced them. Nowadays, with the world in turmoil, people have lost their enthusiasm for them. But as long as you practice diligently, it will greatly benefit your health."

Master Tang explained, "There are many types of health-preserving exercises. The most basic ones are Five Animal Frolics, Eight-Section Brocade, and Fetal Breathing. More advanced ones include guidance techniques, breathing techniques, and meditation. Even more advanced are Tai Chi and Yi Jin Jing..."

Xie An was secretly shocked when he heard this.

Ba Duan Jin and Fetal Breathing Exercise...are easy to understand.

But Tai Chi and Yi Jin Jing are no longer considered health-preserving exercises, right? Instead, they are top-level martial arts that also combine killing and destruction.

Could it be that... if one practices health-preserving exercises to the extreme, one can also master killing?
But thinking about it, Xie An felt relieved.

It is said that medicine and martial arts are inseparable, and health-preserving exercises are actually martial arts.

If one has mastered martial arts to the highest level, how can he not be good at killing?
"Now, I will mainly tell you about Ba Duan Jin and Wu Qin Xi..."

Xie An listened very carefully.

Especially when Tang Qingfeng talked about the Five Animal Exercises, Xie An's eyes lit up with a strange light. As Tang Qingfeng practiced the Five Animal Exercises, Xie An compared himself with the others and found that there was indeed something wrong with his practice.

He immediately followed Tang Qingfeng's moves and practiced them exactly as he had done, reversing his wrong moves and force techniques one by one.

Sure enough, the effect was much better, and my body felt much more coordinated and comfortable. Two hours later.

The muscles and bones generate heat, and the hands and feet become active.

【Five Animal Exercises: Combining Movement and Stillness (14/100)】

It is professional after all.

Although Xie An had a cheat, he could progress faster just by working hard, but if he could master the correct techniques and absorb the successful experience of his predecessors, he could undoubtedly speed up his progress.

"That's all for today. I will give lectures here every morning for the next month." As it was past noon, Tang Qingfeng asked everyone to go back and rest.

Most of the people left dejectedly, clearly finding the event rather uninteresting and feeling they had wasted their money. Some of them were specially brought in by the owner to show support for Master Tang, to avoid making the scene look too shabby.

Xie An, on the other hand, was very excited when he left, as if he had found a treasure.

"What's your name? How old are you?"

Just as Xie An reached the door, he heard Tang Qingfeng's voice behind him. He quickly turned around and bowed, "My name is Xie An. I just turned fifty."

Tang Qingfeng nodded slightly. "You're still so energetic after you're over fifty. This is the benefit of practicing health-preserving exercises. Have you practiced the Five Animal Exercises before?"

Xie An practiced diligently throughout the morning, and his Five Animal Play was quite impressive. Tang Qingfeng noticed this. Initially, he thought Chen Lei had brought him in to make up the numbers, but later he realized this old man was no ordinary person...

Xie An did not hide it, "I have practiced it."

"Which health-preserving master in Qingwu County did you learn from?" Tang Qingfeng almost instinctively thought that Xie An had learned skills from a master.

Xie An didn't want Master Tang to think he was exceptionally talented, so he found an excuse, "When I was working outside before, I met a kind master who taught me a few tricks."

Tang Qingfeng gave him a look of "as expected" and offered some encouragement, "People's understanding of health-preserving exercises is too superficial. They think of them as fancy tricks like the Five Animal Frolics and Eight Section Brocade. They don't realize the power of guiding techniques and breathing methods. God rewards hard work. Although you're old, as long as you persevere, you'll achieve something."

Xie An wanted to ask about the ins and outs of the guidance and breathing techniques, but since he and Tang Qingfeng were not familiar with each other, he did not ask any more questions. He thanked him and turned to leave.

The next morning, there were two fewer people coming to Baicao Garden to learn health-preserving exercises, leaving only six.

Tang Qingfeng's face showed an unconcealable disappointment.

Xie An was the first one to arrive every day. He listened carefully and took the initiative to ask Tang Qingfeng for advice when he encountered any difficulties.

Tang Qingfeng's original intention was to teach a few more talented young people. If there were any who performed well, he might recommend them to his master, so that they could become his disciples and strengthen the family. However, the young people were not interested in health-preserving exercises. Instead, Xie An, a fifty-year-old man, gave him a pleasant surprise.

Every time Xie An came to ask, he explained in detail.

Before they knew it, a month had passed, and only two people were left who still insisted on coming to Baicao Garden to learn health-preserving exercises.

One was Xie An, who had persevered from the beginning, and the other was Chen He, who had joined halfway through. As for the few people Chen Lei had brought in to make up the numbers, Tang Qingfeng, in a rage, had driven them away because of their improper attitudes...

At first, Chen He didn't take health-preserving exercises seriously, but every time Xie An went to the pharmacy to get medicine, his energy and spirit improved a lot.

How could Chen He, who is over 49 years old, bear such stimulation?

I just joined in.

It's no wonder that after more than half a month of guidance from a famous teacher, Chen He clearly felt a significant improvement in his health. Even compared to Xie An, the difference in results was huge... This made Chen He extremely envious.

At noon that day, Tang Qingfeng finished teaching and looked at Xie An for a long time. Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Come with me to the room."

(End of this chapter)